E3 2012: Symphony of the OriginAndroid gamers get some love.06.06.12 - 2:28 PM

The selection of traditional JRPGs on Android is far less than what's available on iOS, but Kemco has been slowly changing that balance over the past few years with classic 16-bit style RPGs such as Symphony of Eternity and Eve of the Genesis. At E3, Kemco had a demo available for their latest RPG, Symphony of the Origin, and I got the chance to try it.

Symphony of the Origin is a "prequel" to Symphony of Eternity. In other words, like Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals, its story takes place well before that of its predecessor. Symphony of the Origin follows a young warrior named Ryle whose rage over losing his parents to a demon fuels his aggressive fighting spirit. After a training session, he decides to retire for the night, only to see the demon who killed his parents annihilating some soldiers. The fight takes him underground where he somehow resurrects a golem and draws the attention of a sarcastic female night-elf who believes another world catastrophe is afoot. The game promises a classic JRPG tale with drama, adventure, and plenty of cool characters. The dialogue shows hints of personality and reminds me of the sense of fun in classic RPGs.

Symphony of the Origin's technical aspects are a noticeable improvement over Symphony of Eternity. The 2D graphics for the locations are brighter, more vivid, and more detailed, as are the high-definition sprites. The sprites move with a polygon-esque fluidity during battles. The large character portraits that accompany dialogue are appealingly designed, especially that of the female night elf, with her plum colored skin and powder blue hair. It looks better than it sounds.

The game is still under development, but what I've played so far feels pretty good. The interface is fluid and responsive, and it's not as slippery as some other tablet RPGs. The menus are easy to navigate, and when characters level up, players can pump their stats as they see fit. If prior Kemco games are any indication, this one should be at least 20-25 hours long.

Kemco hopes to release this game for Android and iOS tablet devices later this year in the fall or winter, in time for the holidays.